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Comedy in a Bond film? It can work if done correctly.

sw909sw909
edited December 2011 in Bond Movies Posts: 12
I love Bond's mistreatment of Tibbetts in A View to a Kill. It added to the cover as well.

Comments

  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,129
    This isn't News @sw909, so I'll move it to Bond movies.
    Though to be honest I think it really should be locked, as the opening post is so vague without any real depth to begin a discussion.
    Feel free to add more to your thoughts on comedy in Bond films and how it could work, or this may find a padlock attached.
  • Mach2InfinityMach2Infinity Wales
    Posts: 74
    For me, I like the dry humour. The quips in the Craig films were funny. Moments such as when Bond reverses that arsehole's 4x4 into another car and then says good evening to him later or when M asks him not to kill every possible lead and he dryly reply he will before throwing away the phone.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    I thought QOS was a pretty funny movie, and not cheesy like the other films.
    "She's seasick"
    "Teachers on sabbatical"
    Bond stealing the actor's suit
    "Well I missed"
    "You only service cheap wine"

    Unfortunately, the rest of the film wasn't "done correctly"
  • craigrulescraigrules
    Posts: 284
    you should laugh with bond not at him
  • licensetoforumlicensetoforum
    Posts: 371
    craigrules wrote:
    you should laugh with bond not at him
    I agree with this. Roger and Pierce seemed to be Bonds we were laughing at. The other all had funny moments(even the serious Dalton) where we would laugh with Bond.
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    'comedy' and 'humour' really are two different things . Bond should have humour but not comedy.

    Comedy in a serious film can work eg the egg eating scene in Cool Hand Luke, but not in a Bond film........what am I saying? I've just remembered the fire engine chase in AVTAK!
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,713
    [quote="licensetoforum" Roger and Pierce seemed to be Bonds we were laughing at.[/quote]

    What ?? @-) I always laugh with Moore and not at him... The comedy in the Moore outing is excellent. The other 15 non-Moore outing should have been more like them... Which is why I love DAF, YOLT and DAD.
  • actonsteveactonsteve
    Posts: 1,492
    Comedy in a Bond film is a very delicate thing.

    Done correctly you have CR or GF, done wrongly you have DAD or MR.

    Alot of it depends on the writers working with producer and director. If one thinks the beach boys music is a good idea over a ski chase and the producer goes along with it then you have a problem....if you have a film entirely full of such ideas then you have a BIG problem.

    Thats why often the subtle way is better. The OTT way is too easily derailed.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,157
    I enjoy a comedic moment in the Bonds as long as it's not blatantly obvious that they're going for cheep laughs. The timing has to be absolutely spot-on and by all means it needs to come off as unintentional, almost accidental. I've heard people say that the Bonds are thrillers, action films and even science fiction for some obscure reason, but I will not accept the Bonds to be called comedic.
  • SAMSAM
    Posts: 107
    I believe the type of humour in these movies depends entirely on the actor playing James Bond.

    I mean Roger Moore was a natural on screen with his tongue in cheek humour, and those classic lines.

    An example:
    A View To A Kill - Jenny Flex " I do enjoy an early morning ride " (Horses)
    James Bond " Yes, I'm an early riser myself " LOL

    Although Pierce Brosnan adopted the same humour in his Bond movies, he just could not pull it off.

    An example:
    Die Another Day - End of pre title action sequence, Bond saves himself by clingling on to bell over cliff. James Bond " Saved by the bell " OUCH !!!

    Dry humour has been employed by the " serious " James Bonds i.e. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig

    An example:
    Goldfinger - James Bond throws an electric fan into bath and electrocutes henchman and quotes " Shocking "

    Answer to your question - depends entirely on the actor playing the Bond character.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    SAM wrote:
    Although Pierce Brosnan adopted the same humour in his Bond movies, he just could not pull it off.

    An example:
    Die Another Day - End of pre title action sequence, Bond saves himself by clingling on to bell over cliff. James Bond " Saved by the bell " OUCH !!!

    .

    Some of Pierce's humour worked but not all of it IMO. I always felt he was better at the more flippant, smug remarks.

    E.g. "Standard operating procedure", "head to toe", "I don't know, I'd be lost at sea - adrift", "Really? Interesting role model", "and you've become the supreme allied...commander??"

    you get my drift

    Humour in Bond is better when its flippant and mocking in tone.
  • KennonKennon
    Posts: 297
    OHMSS did have some great moments but it didn't aim to be 'comedy'. DAF also had fine lines but it intended to some extent to be comedy and that backfired.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    One thing with Dalton being my favorite of the six was that any poor attempts at humor were kept on a short leash, there was a big reduction on the sometimes overwhelming nonsense that Moore brought to the part, and said it before, Bond became 'serious again'

    I don't mind a bit of humor in Bond, but not to the extent on certain occasions when they might as well of had Bond with a red nose, spinning bow tie and throwing custard pies in our faces (No Octopussy reference, just saying), it got so damn out of hand

    If you watch Connery from 1962-64 this is the very epitome of Bond being serious, the 'Beatles with Ear Muffs' only sounds ridiculous from our perspectives now, at the time it was a perfectly harmless and accurate description I'm sure. Unfortunately by the time of YOLT and after, Connery had simply gone down the Moore route and the seriousness and straight faced angle of Bond had appeared to have blown away in the wind, I can only take Connery as a plausible no nonsense Bond for maybe his first two or three outings, if he had continued in the same vein, and not done Diamonds, I'm sure he really would of been the best Bond ever, Craig still has some work to do

    I think the obvious thing here is that some will want or appreciate a bit of 'adolescent antics' in their Bond adventures while others will want such things kept to a minimum and Bond playing it straight. But I must draw the line at such nonsense as Gorilla suits, Crocodile snoopers, Surfing on giant waves evading laser beams, Invisible Cars and 'Turning Japanese and Bond becomes a ninja', I can appreciate some may turn a blind eye or accept it but some would say it really has no part in a James Bond film

    There were times I have watched going back far enough and had a hard time distinguishing between Bond and a Carry On movie, I won't name names and releases, but others will understand where the problems lie

    Good Day
  • KennonKennon
    Posts: 297
    Well said. I'd say dark humour maybe a bit on the sick side would be important for Bond films. And used sparingly.
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